Next visit to Öcalan within days, no clear date, AKP says

ANKARA

Without giving a clear date for an upcoming parliamentarian visit to the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a senior ruling party official has said the related process is proceeding smoothly.

“It may be Thursday, or Friday. As I said last week, it may be toward the end of this week, or it may be at the beginning of next week. The matter is proceeding on its course, I hope there will be no problem,” Deputy Chair of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) Hüseyin Çelik said yesterday, in response to questions about the third expected visit to Öcalan by deputies of the Peace and Democracy Party (BDP).

Çelik said he did not have information regarding the names that would make up the BDP delegation. The previous two parliamentarian visits to the PKK leader took place on Jan. 3 and Feb. 23. k HDN